Medical editor

Liver cancer

The most frequent kind of liver cancer is metastasis to the liver, often from colon or rectal cancer, but cancer can also originate in the liver.

Primary liver cancer is separated into:

Hepatocellular carcinoma – HCC (90 %)

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma – IHCC (10 %)

The liver is the largest internal organ in the body and weighs about 1.5 kg in an adult. It is located in the upper right hypochondrium under the diaphragm. The liver is separated into two lobes, right and left, where the right lobe is the largest. The branches of the right and left portal vein indicate the right and left lobes of the liver. Most of the surface of the liver is covered by peritoneum.

Liver - Essential facts

Incidence

HCC is is one of the most common cancer diseases on a global basis. IHCC is not as common as HCC, however the frequency is increasing. Liver cancer represents 2.3% of all new cancer cases in the United States and is most frequently diagnosed among people aged 55-64.
Liver cancer is more common in men than women. In 2017, it is estimated to be 40,710 new cases of liver cancer in the United States (10).